Saturday, June 4, 2016

Live Game Updates: Yankees at Orioles - 6/4

8:04 p.m., Mid 3rd: Yankees get a run in the third after a lead-off double by Chase Headley and a pair of sac flies. They lead 1-0 in the early-going. 

8:33 p.m., Mid 4th: Yankees blow it open in the fourth. They grab four runs on five hits, highlighted by run-scoring doubles by Starlin Castro and Rob Refsnyder. Austin Romine and Didi Gregorius also recorded RBIs in the frame.

8:41 p.m., End 4th: Ivan Nova continues his solid outing with a 1-2-3 fourth. He has allowed just two hits so far as the Yankees lead 5-0.

8:54 p.m., Mid 5th: Yankees add another on an RBI single by Castro. It's now 6-0 New York halfway through the contest.

9:18 p.m., Mid 6th: Yankees continue to pour it on. Jacoby Ellsbury steals home as part of a double-steal and it's 7-0.

10:01 p.m., End 7th: Crazy six-run rally by the Orioles gets them back into the ballgame. Homers by Mark Trumbo and Pedro Alvarez make it 7-3, and then after Nova is removed with a couple of runners on, Adam Jones crushes a Nick Goody offering for a three-run bomb. Andrew Miller finally comes in to stop the bleeding, but the damage is done. With Dellin Betances unavailable tonight, Miller will likely have to go another whole inning before the Yanks can hand the ball to Aroldis Chapman -- a scenario for which Joe Girardi certainly didn't plan tonight.

10:17 p.m., End 8th: That's six up, six down for Miller. The big lefty needs just 28 pitches to get through two innings as the Yankees retain their 7-6 advantage heading into the ninth.

10:44 p.m., End 9th: After A-Rod adds some insurance with an RBI single, Chapman closes out an 8-6 Yankees victory with a scoreless ninth. He's now 9-for-9 in save opportunities this season.

Injury: Prior to start of the ninth, Chapman bounced a warm-up fastball off the wrist of Austine Romine, resulting in the backup catcher's removal from the game. Romine's injury, and its severity, are currently unknown. Starter Brian McCann, who's been dealing with a shoulder issue recently, entered to catch the final three outs.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 6/4


Saturday night baseball on FOX with the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles, what a way to waste away the weekend. I’m well past the partying stage in my life so sitting at home with the family in front of the AC while watching the Yankees is my idea of a good time and we will have just that tonight as the New York Yankees face off with the Baltimore Orioles in the middle game of their three game set. In this contest the Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound looking to rebound from a strong of rough starts while the Orioles counter with Tyler Wilson. The game will be played at 7:15 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on FOX.

Just one more game tomorrow before the Yankees return home to play host to Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the Bronx. To see any of those iconic players live and in person inside Yankee Stadium click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to snag your tickets from the site. Also be sure to follow along all season long, home or away, on Twitter with us by giving @GreedyStripes a follow. We’re social because it’s social media, makes sense right?


Saturday night baseball on FOX. Let’s do it. Go Yankees!

The Case For and Against Trading Aroldis Chapman


If the New York Yankees are going to trade Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran and Nathan Eovaldi (hypothetically since those are the players we have covered thus far in this series) then you almost have to trade Aroldis Chapman as well, right? The Yankees basically stole Chapman away from the Cincinnati Reds with a lesser prospect package this winter because of his ties to a domestic violence case and have rode out his 30 game suspension. With that now behind him and the club and after enough of a sample size that shows Chapman is healthy, back and can handle closing out games in the Bronx the Yankees could lose Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo, Tony Renda, Caleb Cotham and others and turn them indirectly into a whole lot more. That’s only if it makes sense to trade him this summer.

 
The case for trading Aroldis Chapman:
His contract expires after the season and the Yankees aren’t going anywhere in 2016. 

He would likely fetch much more in a July trade than the Yankees gave up to acquire him this winter. 

I’ve said it four times now but it’s true, the Yankees would finally admit to rebuilding. 

Brian Cashman could buy a couple brownie points back by buying low and selling high. 


The case against trading Aroldis Chapman:

If the Yankees compete for a Wild Card or make a historic second half run the bullpen would be thin and weaker without Chapman. 

The Yankees can’t offer him a qualifying offer after the season and get a draft pick as compensation. 

This may affect a potential and completely hypothetical chance for him in free agency before 2017. 




I can’t think of all that many reasons not to trade the Cuban Missile this summer as long as the Yankees are out of it. His contract is expiring, he’s making a ton of money for a relief pitcher and he would presumably fetch much more than the Yankees gave up for him this winter. If the Yankees continue to fall I can absolutely, 100%, see Chapman packing his bags and wearing his third ever uniform in his short MLB career. 

Mark Teixeira May Miss Rest of 2016 Season w/ Injury

Well this is not what you want, now is it?

The New York Yankees announced late last night that Mark Teixeira had a cartilage tear in his right knee and may miss the remainder of the 2016 season with the injury. The Yankees are hoping to avoid that and are in the process of rehabbing the knee with the hopes of their first baseman coming back at some point this season.

Chris Parmelee has been called up to take Teixeira's roster space and to give the Yankees a true first base option. Now what?

Riverdogs Press Release: Charleston Joins MLB’s PLAY BALL Initiative

RiverDogs, Charleston Recreation Department Join in MLB & USA Baseball’s ‘PLAY BALL’ Initiative
Local youth groups to receive introduction to the game while securing tour of Riley Park



CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston RiverDogs, in conjunction with the Charleston Recreation Department, will participate in Major League Baseball and USA Baseball’s PLAY BALL initiative on three dates this summer.

This new undertaking is being introduced in a committed effort to spark widespread participation in all forms of baseball activities among all age groups, especially youth.

Athletes from three local summer camps connected to the Charleston Recreation Department will be invited to Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park to get an introduction and early-level basic fundamentals in America’s pastime. In addition to learning about the game from RiverDogs players, participants will get a behind-the-scenes tour of The Joe and will be exposed to parts of the ballpark fans typically won't see (that include the underground batting cages, press box, locker rooms, and more).



The groups will then be divided and will rotate between catch on the field and hitting in the batting cages. RiverDogs players will be stationed in the cages and on the field and will work with and hang out with the participants.



Prior to the kids’ departure, there will be an autograph session as well as a guest appearance from everyone’s favorite dog, Charlie T. RiverDog.

The first event is June 14 with the James Island Camp, and the second is set for July 29 with the Downtown City Gym Camp while the final event is August 8 with the Bees Landing Camp in West Ashley. All of the groups that are participating will be selected by the Charleston Recreation Department.

"The purpose of the initiative is just to remind people that you can engage with baseball without having nine guys on each team, uniforms and umpires," said Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. "There are lots of small games that are ways to play baseball that can be really fun for kids and can really help them develop skills. It creates a day that they'll remember the rest of their lives."

“The City of Charleston is proud to partner in this initiative with our own Charleston RiverDogs,” said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. “We hope that it inspires the love of the game of baseball to the children of our community.”

“The RiverDogs are thrilled to participate in the PLAY BALL initiative and are especially happy to partner with the Charleston Recreation Department,” said RiverDogs President and General Manager Dave Echols. “These sessions are designed to introduce a youngster to baseball or enhance a kid’s love of the game. It will certainly be a memorable moment for the participants and our players alike.”

The PLAY BALL initiative highlights the many ways baseball can be played, including outside of traditionally organized baseball leagues and tournaments, ranging from playing catch, stickball and Wiffle ball to participating in skills competitions like "Pitch, Hit & Run." PlayBall.orgserves as its online home, featuring coaching tips, parent resources and health and safety information. It's also a resource to find out how to gets kids involved in Play Ball activities and get links to youth-related news and events, plus searchable maps for local community leagues.

"The launch of PLAY BALL is a landmark occasion for our sport," said Executive Director and CEO of USA Baseball Paul Seiler. "With the support of Major League Baseball, we are thrilled to take a more active role in the proliferation of our game and offer innovative resources to our national member organizations and their constituents. While the launch of PLAY BALL is the culmination of a lot of hard work, this represents the beginning of our partnership with MLB to grow the game at the grassroots level."

Additionally, MLB and USA Baseball are launching the PLAY BALL Mobile Coaching App, a free tool for coaches at every level that is currently available for download via Google Play and will be coming soon to the Apple App Store. Coaches can access the app as guests, but logging on with PLAY BALL credentials allows users to create customized practice plans, organize team data, and utilize Pitch Smart recommendations and more.

For more information, please contact Haley Kirchner at 843/577-DOGS (3647) or email her at haley@riverdogs.com.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 6/4


The New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles will continue their three-game weekend set tonight with the middle game of their set inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards. Last night the Yankees sent the backbone of their rotation in Nathan Eovaldi to the mound and tonight they send another bright spot in Ivan Nova to the mound to take on Tyler Wilson for the Orioles.

Nova heads into this start on a two game losing streak but as a 4th or 5th starter type he has pitched well enough to win in both of those starts. Nova did allow four runs in each of the two starts though which is a bit concerning after his hot start after entering the rotation. As a starter this season Nova is 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA in five starts.

Wilson heads into this start fresh off a loss at the hands of the division rival Boston Red Sox. Wilson ended up hurling 6.2 innings in the start on Monday giving up three runs on eight hits with two walks but his offense could not pick him up in the decision.


The game will be played at 7:15 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on FOX and maybe MLB TV, I’m still not quite sure how the blackouts work truth be told. . One night these Yankees can beat teams like the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals and the next night they struggle to beat teams like the Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics. I don’t get it and I don’t know what to expect going forward or tonight. That’s one of the many great things about baseball, you have to watch to find out just what is going to happen. Go Yankees!

The Case For and Against Trading Andrew Miller


The question on everyone’s mind from now until August 31st will likely be will the Yankees rebuild and sell off their spare pieces or will they make additions for one more run at a Wild Card. If the Yankees prefer to go with the former and not the latter while committing to a rebuild one of the most attractive pieces on the team right now is Andrew Miller. Miller has proven to be effective in the 8th and the 9th inning, proven to be a warrior pitching through a fractured wrist and proven to be a team first player that every team wants so here are the pros and cons for the Yankees trading him this summer.

The case for trading Andrew Miller:

He is on a team friendly contract that has multiple years of team control after the 2016 season. He would fetch an absolute ton in a trade (all things considered). 

Teams are always looking for bullpen help at the deadline and would be more willing to overpay for a guy like Miller with team control left. 

Once again this allows the team to commit to a full blown rebuild rather than this rebuild on the fly stuff. 

This clears a spot for Jacob Lindgren if he can ever get healthy and back to the Major Leagues. 

The case against trading Andrew Miller:

If the team has plans of making a second half run or competing in 2017 and beyond Miller is a great piece to have around. 

Miller has went above and beyond the expectations of being a Yankee both on and off the field. Trading him kind of makes the team look like the jerks in this one. 

Trading Miller breaks up the super bullpen. 



Trading Miller makes a lot of sense for a rebuilding team but it doesn’t make sense for a competing team and a team that is worried about team chemistry. The Yankees have to make the decision which team they are not only this season but next season as well before trading away anyone, especially a valuable commodity like Andrew Miller. 

Weekly Check In: Robert Refsnyder


Robert Refsnyder has been up and down for a lot of the past month but he may have seemingly found his niche with the Yankees this time around. Refsnyder can already play second base, third base in a pinch and right field and the Yankees have been adding him into their first base mix slowly since the Dustin Ackley injury. With that said Refsnyder may finally stick on the Major League roster for a while and we may have to find another Saturday morning check in. Frankly I am 100% okay with that.

Refsnyder continues to show that he is a tough at bat and an even tougher out at the MLB level although his bat was never the concern. It’s always been his defense and likely will always be his defense but don’t look now, Refsnyder may add another position to his repertoire soon enough with first base. The Yankees may have their own little super utility guy in the making.


If Refsnyder sticks with the big league club this will be the final check in with him or a while and we’ll find another notable prospect to check in with next Saturday. If he goes down this week this will continue to be his slot. Stay tuned. 

YearAgeLevGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
201625AAA351471840721061017.294.340.404.745
201625MLB41024303002.400.400.7001.100

This Day in New York Yankees History 6/4: Big Unit Wins 300


On this day in 2009 the San Francisco Giants Randy Johnson would pitch six innings in a 5-1 Giants victory over the Washington Nationals for Johnson's 300th victory of his career. The former Seattle Mariner, Houston Astro, Arizona Diamondback, and New York Yankee would become the 24th pitcher in the history of the game to win #300 and the first to win his 300th game in his first try since Tom Seaver beat the Yankees in 1985.



Also on this day in 1980 at Shea Stadium the recently traded Jim Kaat, who was fresh over from the New York Yankees, gets a complete game shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals in 10 innings. The Mets would beat the Cardinals 1-0 in 10 innings. The 41 year old pitcher did not start a game for the Yankees last season but gets the win thanks to a 10th inning solo home run from Ken Reitz. Ain't that some luck?